Carbon reduction for public welfare has become a concrete practice. Taiwan's first public welfare carbon credit project, through donations, helped the Taoyuan Spinal Cord Injury Potential Development Center replace high-energy-consuming lamps, acquiring 180 tons of carbon credits. These credits were then offered to the Type B corporation, Green Vine Life, for subscription at NT$2,000 per ton. The carbon reduction proceeds were returned to public welfare, saving the social welfare organization NT$1.3 million in annual electricity bills.
Taiwan's first public carbon credit was created to help social welfare organizations replace old lamps
Taiwan's first public carbon credit was jointly initiated by Sunvolt and Citibank (Taiwan). By helping the Taoyuan Spinal Potential Development Center replace old lamps, they obtained a carbon credit based on the reduction of carbon emissions. Lin Zilun, Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction, Executive Yuan; Shi Kehe, Vice Chairman of the National Development Council; and Shen Zhixiu, Executive Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Administration, also attended the press conference yesterday (9) to witness Taiwan's first public carbon credit.
Regarding the public welfare carbon rights model, Chen Huiping, founder of Sunvolt and chairman of the Taiwan Green Energy Public Welfare Development Association, explained that companies donate money to help social welfare groups replace energy-consuming equipment or install renewable energy. The companies then conduct carbon inventories and have the Environmental Protection Administration assess the carbon rights exchange amount, confirming the specific carbon reduction benefits on a ten-year basis.
For example, this project has achieved a cumulative carbon reduction of 180 tons over ten years, which is equivalent to the carbon reduction of 1,500 trees per year. This "public welfare carbon right" was then sold to Green Vine Life Science by the Taiwan Green Energy Public Welfare Association at NT$2,000 per ton. This not only helps Green Vine Life Science achieve its carbon reduction goals, but also saves NT$1.3 million in electricity bills for the Taoyuan Spinal Cord Potential Development Center.
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Shi Kehe, vice-chairman of the National Development Council, said that the concept of carbon rights or carbon fees is nothing more than changing the cost structure from traditional polluter-pays compensation or internalizing external costs, but the initiative of public welfare carbon rights not only changes the cost structure, but also creates a mechanism for sharing profits.
He pointed out that this public welfare carbon rights initiative is "very special," as it allows social welfare organizations to no longer simply be the recipients of subsidies and tax cuts, but rather the creators of transformation dividends. Using the carbon rights concept, companies can receive a share of the profits through the purchase of carbon rights, truly implementing a just transition towards the net-zero goal. "I believe this is a very good direction for planning a just transition in the future."
In an interview after the meeting, Chen Huiping pointed out that institutional difficulties may still need to be resolved. The high time cost, administrative and personnel costs, and complicated application procedures for carbon offsets will offset the benefits of public welfare carbon rights. She hopes that a more simplified and standardized application procedure can be implemented in the future.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234752)
